Do you remember a candy made by Jolly Rancher, called Cinnamon Stix? I used to suck on one-inch-square pieces of that candy during classes in high school. I think I would probably love some Tung Hing powder. I'll get it from My Spice Sage. Thanks for the suggestion. *smile*

I bought some and it was good, but not burning hot as I expected. I put the usual amount in our breakfast oats and the flavor was distinctly cinnamon but in no way overly spiced. I've read since that the hottest cinnamon-flavored cassia is the Vietnamese, so I guess I will order some of that. Ceylon cinnamon and Chinese cassia both tasted like cinnamon hearts candy, rather than like the brown powder coating on a cinnamon donut which is presumably the same Indonesian cassia that is sold in grocery stores as "cinnamon". *smile*

(I love cinnamon candies as much as you do. I once bought a 5 lb. bag of Hot Tamales candy from Costco. I ate so much of them during the week that I ruined probably the best "tapas" experience I'll ever have. I ate too many of them the week before the dinner party that my mouth was "raw". Before me stood a huge table of every kind of tapas imaginable, but all I could taste was "salt".)

I am using the Chinese cassia in our breakfast oats now. It was not a waste of money, because the flavor is better than the Indonesian cassia. I tried the Ceylon cinnamon in our hot cocoa. It was delicious but the powder formed a mucus-like glob in the bottom of the cup which was somewhat difficult to consume. If it had dispersed throughout the cocoa it would have made a lovely thick drink.

That dates that hand writen recipe younger than 1960 when Chrisco oil first hit the market. AHA! :)

Can't help get the impression she got it from somewhere else because of the choice of oils. She used one while the person giving her the recipe used another. Just the feeling I get. I tend to do that too when passing on a recipe.

when I saw that handwritten recipe - I have a handwritten recipe for applecake from an old Jewish lady I used to visit, and the handwriting is almost identical! She's not here now, passed away about 10 years ago aged 94. If I was cleverer I could reproduce it here, but really they could have been written by the same hand.

I've tried about two hundred variations of apple cake over my lifetime and you're right, they all taste about the same. The variations tend to come from various spices, which often overpower the apples.

The French tarte tatin and the American apple pie are much better vehicles for apple, IMO, as cake just steams the apples and turns them into delicious mush. They don't caramelize as well (or at all) when surrounded with batter or dough. If it must be apple cake, then I opt for the French clafoutis (traditionally cherry, but wonderful with apple), which exposes the apples to the heat of the oven instead of burying them.

is Lillian Axenfeldt, and we got the recipe from her; where she got it, who knows? but we compared it to Norm's formula and Aunt Lillian prevailed. There are lots of good apple cake recipes around, and most are built on the same ingredients. The differences, as always, lie in the proportions.

At the moment, we're not sharing the recipe, and prefer that others who own "Inside the Jewish Bakery" not share it either. Maybe once we'ver achieved "kitchen classic" status ...

This recipe looks like the one my friends and I have used since the 1960's. It may be much older than that. One friend said she only uses Rome apples and when I switched to those I was very happy with the results. There are so many apple varieties that I suggest you ask the seller if you are going to the source what suggestion he or she has for a good cooking apple. I never found the apples to be mushy, but of course that's my opinion. This cake was always a tremendous hit no matter who baked it and I believe we all do use Crisco oil. Also we bake it in a bundt or tube pan. Definitely no frosting or dusting of sugar on this one. By the way, if you don't have an orange to squeeze you can use 1/3 cup of orange juice.

For all the apple lovers out there, try this recipe, found in TOH. Note: Buy fat rather than tall apples (I use Granny Smiths)--and yes, it seems like a lot of slices but just keep going, you'll get them all in. I double the recipe as it freezes beautifully once baked. I also add grated rind from one lemon to the batter and 1/2 t ground allspice and 1/8 t. ground cloves to sugar/cin mixture. This recipe has no yeast or baking powder or soda so beat those eggs well! Sprinkle top with granulated or pearl sugar and drizzle with apple juice in bowl before baking. Joeyo the Doeyo

Dutch Apple Cake Recipe

Photo by: Taste of Home Dutch Apple Cake Recipe

My husband and I came to Canada over 40 years ago from Holland. This traditional Dutch recipe is a family favorite and frequently goes along with me to potluck suppers and other get-togethers. —Elizabeth Peters, Martintown, Ontario

This recipe is:

Contest Winning

72Dutch Apple Cake Recipe

10-12 Servings

Prep: 15 min. + standing Bake: 1-1/2 hours + cooling

15 90 105

Ingredients

3 medium tart apples, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch slices (3 cups)

3 tablespoons plus 1 cup sugar, divided

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2/3 cup butter, softened

4 eggs

1 teaspoon Spice Islands® pure vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the apples, 3 tablespoons sugar and cinnamon; let stand for 1 hour.

In another bowl, cream butter and remaining sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla. Combine flour and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and beat until smooth.

Your recipe looks wonderful so, it takes a long time to bake but at a low temperature right? Since I have a convection oven, I guess I have to reduce the temperature to 325. I happen to have all the ingredients and I will make it tonight after I get home from work. I was thinking of making one of those mile high apple pies but I don't have a good recipe for that one. I more of a bread baker than a pie maker.

Thank you so much for sharing and the same goes to everyone out there with your comments.

Sorry, I don't know anything about convection ovens. Yes, it bakes quite a long while at 300 degrees in a gas or electric oven (I have gas), the dough rises slightly to just about cover the tips of the apples as they are standing in the batter--this is why I say use fat rather than tall apples. This slight rise is due to the beating well of the eggs. Let me know how you like it, Ok? Joeyo the Doeyo

I do believe that it's 2 Tbsp cinnamon mixed with 5 Tbsp sugar; that's a pretty good ratio for "cinnamon sugar." That's what I used on the sliced apples for Aunt Lillian's cake (yes, I made it last week, and it was splendid). The recipe is similar to other "Jewish apple cake" recipes in that it uses oil rather than butter (ostensibly for serving with meat meals in observant homes). This cake deserves to rise high in a bunt pan rather than a shallower rectangular one. The biggest trick, though, and I've come up against it more than once, is how to remove it from the pan without it falling apart (those apples get nice and juicy). More than one such recipe say to let it cool slightly, then, with a knife, loosen the cake from the pan sides (and the central post of the bundt pan as well). Now here's where they differ. One rather prominent Jewish cookbook writer says to invert it onto a serving plate. Another (just a little less prominent) writer says to loosen as above and slide a spatula (or two) under the bottom surface to lift it from the bottom and transfer it to a plate. I say--go with the second method! I've done it the first way and had the cake break into a half-dozen pieces. Not pretty! (But still tasty.) I suggest to take it slow and easy with this very moist and delicious cake.

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